Chevrolet Camaro

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Model Overview

The Camaro is Chevrolet’s two-door muscle coupe (and convertible), and it continues to do the job it was assigned fifty years ago: Give the Ford Mustang and the Dodge Challenger something to worry about. The Camaro isn’t very practical, but it’s a lot of fun.

History

The Camaro has a long and storied history going back to 1966. Four generations of the Camaro saw it play a variety of roles, from Trans Am champion to poser-mobile for the polyester shirt set. The Camaro story appeared to come to an end in 2002 when Chevrolet rang down the curtain on their legendary pony car.

In 2010, however, the Camaro made its triumphant return. The sheetmetal felt like a modern, stylized version of the first-generation car, and performance was blistering, with 426 horsepower from the SS’ 6.2 liter V-8 and 304 hp from the base-model V-6—a car that boasted a bargain price tag under $25,000. “The new Camaro is an A+ effort,” we wrote in our First Drive review. Still, the fifth-gen Camaro had its problems, chief among them heavy controls and pillbox windows, which relegated it to last place in our 2011 Mustang-Challenger-Camaro shootout.

But there was more (and better) Camaro goodness to come. 2012 brought us the 580-horsepower ZL1, which edged out the Mustang GT500 in a head-to-head comparison. 2013 saw the introduction of the track-tuned 1LE, which we called “a well-balanced, track-ready, and sufficiently powered performance edition that will make any Camaro fan proud.” And then there was the 2014 Z/28, which beat out vehicles like the Alfa-Romeo 4C, Nissan GT-R NISMO, Porsche 911 Turbo S, and BMW M4 to be named the Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car of 2014.

The Latest Generation

Chevrolet introduced the sixth-generation Camaro for 2016, a smaller, lighter and tighter version of the fifth-gen car, still bearing its bargain price but now boasting a smart and strong turbo four-cylinder as its base engine. “Worlds better than the version it replaced,” was our rather reserved opinion of the first 2016 SS we tested, but the Camaro went on to surprise us.

“Had you asked any of us nine judges if the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro had a snowball’s chance in Hyundai’s desert proving grounds of winning our 2016 Car of the Year honors,” we wrote, “almost all of us would have said no.” And yet that’s exactly what happened: The new Camaro walked away as the Motor Trend 2016 Car of the Year. “A revelation,” said International Bureau Chief Angus MacKenzie at the time. “Absolutely world-class sports car performance and dynamics from an American icon. The new Camaro is one of the finest driver’s cars in the world. And that’s before you even talk about the price.”

Why You’d Consider One

Today’s Camaro is a thoroughly modern muscle car that turns corners as well as it turns heads.